Vanilla Android may be released for existing HTC One owners

So we’ve finally confirmed the existence of the vanilla Android based HTC One, which is set for a June 26 release. The handset will be a little pricey, costing $599, but will contain exactly the same hardware as the standard One. The only difference will be the changes in software.

After the announcement, it’s understandable that some HTC One customers may feel a little disappointed that they weren’t given this choice before buying the original handset.

Well, according to information obtained by The Verge, HTC may be planning to do something about this. HTC is currently “examining the best way to support early adopters of the One” who may prefer a stock Android experience over Sense. This could be any number of things, but hopefully indicates that HTC is considering ROM options for users who may prefer the stock Android experience.

Perhaps we’ll see some simple tools for installing the ROM made available to HTC One owners. This could work something like the support offered by Sony to help users unlock the bootloaders on their Xperia handsets, rather than having to use community made tools.

If HTC ends up supporting a method of installing stock Android, I’m curious whether installing vanilla Android on an HTC One will invalidate any warranties, which would be a bit of a kick in the teeth considering that the hardware is clearly supported.

At this point, all we know is that HTC is planning something, so we’ll just have to wait and see exactly what HTC comes up with. At least there’s hope for existing HTC users eager for a stock Android experience.



from Android Authority by Robert Triggs